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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Am I being silly?

8 replies

LynetteScavo · 04/06/2015 22:01

Old girl cat sadly died last week.

Old boy cat (will be 18 yo this summer) is fit and well, but a little senile.

A very good friends cat has just had a litter of kittens (yes, I've judged: my judgy pants are hoiked so high I've needed no sun cream on my face today). So there are four kittens looking for a loving home. I won't be working during the summer holidays. It would be a perfect time to introduce a kitten to our family.

The points against this are;

DH tells me it's ridiculous, shakes his head and refuses to discuss it any further.

I haven't brought it up with Boy Cat yet, but I imagine he would give me the "Feck orf" look, and spread out on the sofa, forcing me to sit on the other sofa with DH.

The DC haven't asked for a new pet in the last week. This is unusual to the point of being weird. I have had to endure four days solid of DD crying because she wants a guinea pig, random requests for stick insects, regular begging for a dog, Christmas list hamsters...but nothing. Maybe the DC have learned their begging does't work, or maybe they think Old Girl cat is irreplaceable (which of course fury pets are)

There are things I would rather spend my money on than insuring a kitten.

But my main worry is Old Boy cat.

It wouldn't be right, would it.

And Old Boy has a cat flap....and a kitten couldn't go out until neutered.....only just thought of that problem.

OP posts:

sparkysparkysparky · 05/06/2015 08:18

As lovely as it sounds to have a new kitten, Old Boy needs quiet and love and attention and not a new kitten around.
One day, OldBoy will be gone and, if it suits your family, you can give a home to a kitten.
I understand how you feel but OldBoy needs your time and love more.

cozietoesie · 05/06/2015 08:36

I agree. Cats don't necessarily like each other and Old Boy may well find it impossible to adjust to a kitten tearing around the place. Would you really want to potentially muck up his pleasing sunset time?

The time for a new cat will come soon enough.

timtam23 · 05/06/2015 09:12

Sorry to hear about your old girlcat

I completely agree with the other posters (having gone through the old cat + kitten thing myself!). I had 17 & 18 yr old cats, one doddery, one blind, and then out of the blue a tiny stray kitten turned up at a few weeks old and we had little choice but to keep him (all rescues were full but he was v cute anyway!). It was a complete nightmare especially when he reached the 10-16 week bold as brass stage, he would lie in wait for my blind cat and ambush him, pkayfight with him, it really wasn't fair. My 18 yr old cat died 3 weeks after we got the kitten, nothing to do with the kitten at all but her last weeks with us were a bit hectic and I was sad about that.
Kitten was v fond of my boycat & would curl up with him/groom him which was v sweet (& boycat liked that a lot) but the bouncing around, ambushing etc was too much for him, he would have been happier with a quiet old age (and that was what we had intended for both cats before the kitten turned up)

frostyfingers · 05/06/2015 15:54

We made the mistake of thinking that our older cat (who was only 6) would miss her companion, and acquired two kittens. She loathed them with a passion and would stalk out of the room anytime they came in - luckily as they were a pair they didn't really bother her, but I'm not sure I'd do it again.

buntingbingo · 05/06/2015 16:00

Our old boy was not impressed at the arrival of our kitten. He has however gotten over it. He sometimes gives her a gentle wallop when she launches herself at him and they won't ever be best friends but they are flatmates now. She's bought loads of fun and love to the house. She never used and still won't use his cat flap and he won't use her litter tray.
I say do it. Kittens are the best and when you sadly loose your old fella you will still have a furry friend about the house to cuddle.

Original poster

LynetteScavo · 05/06/2015 18:10

Some of you don't understand...Old Boy is specialand will live for ever and ever!

I had a vivid dream last night about my friends kitten. It wasn't a good dream; I forgot to feed it, and ended up returning kitten to friend. I'm not usually a wood person, but I've taken this as a sign.

OP posts:

timtam23 · 05/06/2015 23:36

My plan had always been, for after my old cats died, that I would wait awhile and then go to a rescue & adopt a middle-aged adult black or black-and-white cat as I think those are the ones which struggle most to find homes. Kittens are easier to rehome because everyone loves cute kittens!
We still have the kitten I mentioned in my post above, he is a huge hulking 2 year old now and I love him to bits, would not have given him up for anything, but secretly I would have preferred my Old Boy to have had a little more peace & quiet in his final few months with us.

Enjoy your time with Old Boy, OP

Gabilan · 05/06/2015 23:55

Wait and see what happens with the kittens. If they're all offered homes whilst young, they weren't meant for you. If there are problems homing them, have a rethink.

My parents' old cat was rejuvenated by having a load of kittens in the house and as they grew up up she treated them as her own personal hot water bottles. But she was a one off - tiny cat, in charge of 3 terriers for most of her life, so kittens held no fears.

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